Today’s distraction comes to us from the Prelinger Collection at the Internet Archive, one of my favorite places on the web. I present a short 1951 discussion film entitled “The Outsider”. Susan Jane has what could be delicately referred to as social problems. Mainly she is convinced that all the kids at school hate her. Susan Jane is quiet, soft-spoken, painfully awkward, given to crying jags, and something of a proto-nerd. Her melodrama would be hilarious if it weren’t true that so many adolescent kids still go through the same damn issues.

Actually, it’s still hilarious, if only because this film is so dated. I am fascinated by the different words these kids stress in compound nouns: root beer, ice cream cone. Further, I really want to wear penny loafers with white socks all of sudden.

Susan Jane’s low self esteem leads to an unfortunate misunderstanding, which is ultimately resolved by one of the girls at school specifically going out of her way to make friends with her. Susan Jane then reads “a book on what to do to make people like you,” according to the narrator, and at the end of the film, leaves for the big party, where we can hope nobody dumps pig’s blood on her. Curiously, this short film could be interpreted to be carrying the message that it’s okay to be different, which is pretty unusual for what we expect of the uber-conformist 50s.

Also of interest in this short is incontrovertible proof that fat children existed even sixty years ago. This proof takes shape in the character of Junior, a tubby and cheerful boy who loves food and, interestingly, suffers none of Sarah Jane’s social problems, but is rather fully accepted by his friends.

It was a real eye opener to see how far back some of that prejudice goes. It’s also provides a great example of how sizeism conveniently mask various other isms. Got to keep the working classes with their broken marriages and heedless scarfing of lard in their place eh wot?!

Soon, I hope! I am working hard on finishing my book before the deadline, and that has swallowed up most of the weekend time that Marianne and I would spend recording. But I hope to make time to do so in the near future!

Wow, this was beyond cute. . .loved it & loved poor little Susan Jane! As a Mystery Science Theater 3000 fan I’m well-acquainted with those old Centron films but had no idea they were made in Lawrence, KS, where I lived for 5 years! Thanks, Courtney! I can’t help but feel they should still show things like these in schools now.

I too am a MSTie… and I grew up in Kansas. As far as the MST shorts go, if you watch the “What About Juvenile Delinquency?” one, you might notice that the school they are in front of is Lawrence High, and pretty much all the characters have last names that correspond to towns in Kansas (Lawrence, Leawood, McPherson, etc.)

Actually, the FatCast about love that mentioned early 90s MST3k bulletin boards as an example of where to meet people really made me laugh, as I met my beloved via an MST3k chat room just a year ago. Some things never change.

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After a two year — uh — hiatus, we’re happy to present almost two hours of hot new Fatcast action! (YES, featuring my charming lisp and multitudinous “y’know”s!) In this episode, Marianne and I discuss how incredibly difficult it can be to take care of yourself, and it’s a little less upbeat than we planned. […]